Structural member.



W. S. MOORE.

STRUCTURAL MEMBER.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 11, 1912.

l UNITED STATES PATENT' y, i

WINEIELD scorr MOORE, or INDIANAPOLIS, INDIANA, As'sIGNoa OF TWO-'ruinas 'ro 'HIMsELE AND ONE-'rHIJsD To. ARTHUR SANFORD,

OE WINEIELD ksco'r'r MOOEE AND ARTHUR sANFo A @PARTNERSHIP coMrosED Patented June 10, 1913.

it is desirable that partitius, sollts, leeilings, furrings, etc., be light but substantial, and'iny the exterior nishof many structures, itis desirable to provldemeans for receivmg-andretainin-'g stucco, etc. For such purposmtis, of course, rdesirable that the plaster-jor stucco-.'supportin 'l parts be of metal lor other non-combustib e andvv 1t has heretofore been proposedv to provide pri-` mary metal supporting members for the reception and supportof a metal plaster-supporting fabric such as expanded metal lath, etc., but so far as I am informed, special metal c 'ps or tediously-applied` binding wires have been necessary for securing the metal lat/h to the metal supporting members.

The object of my present invention'is to provide a structural member, for the reception of they plaster-supporting fabric',.such as expanded metal lath,. such that the plaster-supporting fabric may be readily and irml attached to the improved stmctural mem A r by ordinary wire nails, or similar metal pins, which ma be quickly driven in Hplace by comparativ y 'unskilled labor.

he accompanying drawings illustrate a few forms of my invention.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a fragment of a structural member, conveniently formed of sheet metal, and a fragment of plaster-supporting ex anded metal fabric attached 'thereto by ordinary wire nails; Fig. 2 isa pers ec'tive of a fragment of a slightly diiferent i) 3 a similar View of another form; and Fig. 4 a sectional detail, about full size of the particular forni shown in Fig. l1 ut with a different arrangement of the nalls.

Fundamentally my improved structural member is so formed as to provide a face for the; .reception of the plaster-supporting fabric and a backing plate or run-way spaced from the receivmg-face, with the receiving-face perforated vat desired intervals for the reception of the shanks of pins or j back toward Inailsorpins 15. The portion 12 is crm' of my structural member;

nails, the backing plate being so spaced with relation to the perforations of -the receiving face, and the sizeof theseperforations, that the fastening pin or nail, when driven through ya perforation `will engage the backing plate and slide longitudinally thereon so as to be tilted or canted in the perforation throu h which it has passed, and the outer en or head of the pin be thus swung toward (or held relative to) the receiving face of the structural member so as to be thereby capable of retaining a portion of the plaster-supporting fabric between the outer' end of the pin or nail andl the receiving face ofthe structural member. It will be readily understood that, starting with this fundamental structure, there may be many variations in form without departfrom my invention, andthe accompanymg drawings lare merely presented as samples of construction.

In Fig. 1 ofthe drawings, 10 indicates a sheet metal plate or strip, the edges of which fare rst displaced laterally at 11, then bentv substantially at right angles to the plate 10, `as indicated at 12, then bent plate 10, as indicated at 13, and then bent forwardly as indicated at 14, to lie against the part 11, the crotch between .the parts 13 and 14 thus forming a backing plate or run-way for the inner ends of the forated by a plurality of perfor-ations 16. The exact form of these perforations is not estpecially material except that lengthwise o the portion 12 (i. '6.7 lengthwise of the `backing plate or crotch formed b the parts 13-14) these perforations shou d have an extent considerably exceeding the diameter of the fastening pin or the Shanks of the nails 15 so that said nails or pins maybe inserted through the perforations 16 at an acute 'angle to thev length of the backing plate orrun-way. 13-14. Practically these holes 16 will be most conveniently rectangular in shape with a width but a trifle greater than the diameter of that lsize of wire nail which can be most economically used in at'- taching the plaster-supporting fabric 17, the manufact-urer of my improved structural member being, thus able to advise the user -of the product as to the most economical size of nail to be used in conjunction with it. Itf

will be readily apparent, however. that "a peri round hole having a diameter considerably exceeding the diameter of the nail to, be used, maybe provided, as indicated at.16 in Fig. 2. The supporting or structural member 10 shown e in Fig. l is similarly formed ateach edge so that the member is thus useful in the formation of vertical partitions.

Where itis desired to use my improved structural member for the support of sofits, ceilings, it will, of course, not be necessary to duplicate the structure at both edges of the member and in Fig. 3 I have shown a member of this kind, said. memberv being adapted to be suspended in any desired manner, in a horizontal position between beams.

The member shown in Fig. 3 comprises a main body 20 having a portion 21 bent substantiallyl at rightk angles thereto, a portion 22 bent backwardly at an angle toward the main body 20, and a tip 23 turned forwardly toward the portion 21 and laid alongside of the main body 20, the parts 22-23 thus forming a crotch or run-way as a backing plate for` the fastening pins or nails. The portion 21 is provided with perforations 16 of desired form.

In Fig. 2, the main plate 30 is rolled at one or both edges into a longitudinal eye 31, the edge of the sheet being brought around so as to overlap the initial portion of the'eye and the exposed or'outermost portion of the eye having perforations 16.

In the utilizationv of my improved structural member itwill be readily appreciated that the pins or nails 15 may be driven in alternating directions, as indicated in Fig. 4,

' or may be driven in the same direction as shown in Fig. l. Where the structural members are placed vertically, it is most convenient to drive the nailsall in the same direction and downwardly, as in that osition they firmly hold the plaster-receiving fabric. Where the structural member is to be placed horizontally, however, as a support for soflits and ceilings, it will be better to drive the nails in opposite directions, as indicated in Fig. 4.'

It will be readily understood that any pinforming material may be used .for connecting the plaster-supporting fabric to my im# -proved structural member but it will also be readily apparent that the ordinary commervcial wire nail isprobably the'cheapest and best pin which could beused both because of the small market price and also because of the advantage to be gained by the head of the nail.l

lWhen the.l plaster or stucco is applied,'it

will, of course, have suflicient thickness to completely embed the exposed head ends of thenails or pins and when the plaster has hardened it will supplement the friction between the nail and structural member, to

hold the nail against displacement.

nail-receivin wall ,of whlch is arranged adjacent but while practically the nail 15 Should be of' suflicient length to be slightly bent when driven to position as indicated in Fig. 4, lt is possible to secure fairly good results by the use of shorter nails, it being merely necessary that the nail shall have such length that if the plaster-supporting fabric be shifted lengthwise of the structural member, the nails cannot be swung to a right angle relative to the backing plate or runway.

While I have shown the fabric-receiving portion and the backing plate or run-way integral with the main body of the structural member (this being themost practical commercial-form as I aml now informed,) nevertheless it will be readily apparent that these several parts need not be integral so long as they bear the described relationship to each other. -It will also be readily understood thatl material other than expanded metal, or vmetal plaster-receiving fabrics, such, for instance, as plaster board, fancy metal plates, pressed metal ceiling plates, etc., may be attachedto my 'improved structural member in the manner described by the driving of ordinary nails or pins.

Wooden grounds, for the reception of inside nish, may be readily nailed to m improved structural member by the exercise of a little care in properly inclining the nails through such wooden members.

I claim as my invention:

l. Astructural member comprising a sheet metal strip having one edge turned and returned relative to the main body and overlapping a partof the strip farther back from the edge to form a completely closed, pinretaining longitudinal` channel `the outer wall of which is perforated by a plurality of independent. nail-receiving perforations and the inner wall of which is more closely adjacent the edge of the lsheet and is opposite and spaced fromthe outer perforated wall, whereby material applied to the outer face of the perforated wall may be attached thereto by a fastenngfpin driven through the material 'and a per oration and the. inner end of the pin engaged and canted longitudinally of the channel by the inner wall thereof.

2. Ina building the combination of a ls ri'lctural member comprising a sheet met-al 's lp'havlng one edge turned and returned relative Yto the main body to form a longitudinal channel the outer wall of which is perforated by a plurality of independent perforations and the inner spaced from the outer perforated wall, a member applied to and extending laterally from the outer perforated wall of the structural member and designed for the support of another body, a fastening pin driven in an inclined direction through the said first Leeeee mentioned body and e peroretion of the perforated Wall of the structurelq member and the inner end of said fastening pin projected into an engagement With the inner wall of the structural member and by it held in a canted or inclined relation rele.- tive to the perforated Wall of the structural member.

3. A structural member comprising a sheet metal Strip having one edge first displaced singularly relative to the main'body, thence carried substantially at right angles to the main body, thence beck angulerly toward the main body, and thence out- Wardly and angularly against the first angularly displaced portion to form a closed, pin-retaining, longitudinal channel having the wall, which is substantially et right angles to the mein body of the sheet, perfor-ated by a plurality of independent nailreceiving perforations, whereby material applied to the outer face of the perforated Wall may be attached thereto by a, fastening pin driven through the material and a perforation and the inner end of the pin engaged and canted longitudinally of the channel by another Wall thereof.

In Witness whereof, I have hereunto Set my hand and seal at Indianapolis, Indiana,

this 8th dey of March-A. D. one thousand 30 ninehundred and twelve.

' WINFIELD SCOTT MOORE. [1.. 5.]

Witnesses:

ARTHUR M. Hoon, ARTHUR SANFORD. 

